Darkness of the Heart
by Deltra 307
Summary: A world where you can only survive by killing others... A world where if your not perfect your nothing... Now, cat from each of these different places are going to clash, and a destiny no one could ever dream is about to unfold...
1. Prologue

**Haza! After many, many days of inactivity, I gift you a new story! This first chapter isn't very good, I warn you, but please, please, please, please, PLEASE review! I want two reviews before I continue. It's an awesome story, I promise, so review if you want me to continue! If you don't... Well... Review anyways. Here's the chapter!**

A strong wind swept over the alleyways of the city. Tension filled the air as many cats prepared for battle. An eerie silence surrounded them.

A light brown tabby crouched behind a garbage can, a silver she-cat behind her.

"Are you sure we should go through with this?" the silver cat said in a hushed voice. "We've never won a battle with Sable before."

"I know what I'm doing, Lily. Have you seen how many cats he's brought with him? There's no way we're going to lose tonight."

"I'm still not sure about this, Rachel..."

"Quiet!" Rachel ordered, swiping her tail across Lily's mussel to silence her. "They're getting ready to attack!"

Across the alleyway, cats were slipping out of their hiding places and creeping across the hard concrete.

"Get ready. Maddy, Nyla, Oreo, I want you to stay behind with your mentors. You too, Zach. The rest of you, prepare for battle..."

Suddenly, the cats across from them sprang from where they sat, claws unsheathed and ready to rip off their opponents fur.

"Now!" Rachel cried, and in heartbeats, the alleyway was filled with the sound of fighting cats.

The light brown leader braced herself for an attack. A white tom leaped on her shoulders, his claws digging into her shoulders. She easily flung him off and, whipping around, scored her claws down his face. The tom growled in anger and knocked her down with his hind paws before racing off to attack another opponent.

Rachel leaped to her paws. She almost lost her balance, but regained it and looked around for another cat in Sable's gang.

Two silver tabbies, identical to one another, raced towards her in perfect unison. She bared her teeth at them and let out a low growl. The two split up and ran past, their claws raking her sides as they went. She raced towards the tom, ignoring the pain. He dodged her attempt to bite into his leg while the she-cat rammed into her side, knocking her over.

She got up, panting heavily. Again, she ran at the tom, but at the last moment, she turned away and aimed towards his sister. The silver tabby was ready, though. She moved out of the way to reveal the brick wall behind her. Rachel tried to slow her down, but her attempts weren't enough. She crashed into the wal and fell to the ground.

Even in her daze, she could hear the siblings snickering at her. Blinded by rage, she jumped to her paws and raced at them, running as fast as the wind itself. As the three collided, the two siblings were knocked over but the leader wasn't. She scored her claws down their pelts until each of them ran off, tails between their legs.

The pale tabby looked around the battlefield. If Sable wasn't defeated soon, he would end up with the victory. Then, she spotted a flash of the handsome tom's black fur. Rachel raced forward, ready to rip her claws dow his pelt.

As she neared him, she sprang and landed squarly on his shoulders.

"Ah, Rachel, how very nice to see you," he said, attempting to shake her off.

"Shut it, Sable," the pale tabby hissed in his ear. Her grip was loosening, but she was determined to stay on. "What are you doing on my territory?"

"It won't be yours for long, my dear. From here on out, it will just be more of my hunting ground!"

"Worthless fox-dung!" she spat, tightening her grip on him. "Take your cats and leave! I never want to see your face on my land again!"

"I'll come here when I want!" the black tom growled. He shifted his weight, and together, they rolled over, leaving him on top of her. "Give up while your ahead-there's no use in fighting back."

"I'll never give up!" Rachel hissed, trying to drag herself out from under him. She couldn't, of course, and collapsed to the ground.

"Give up?"

"Never!"

He whipped around and dug his claws into her shoulders, pinning her down. "Then die!" He bared his teeth and began to attack, aiming for her neck.

"Stop!" she screamed. "Fine! You win!"

He stepped off of her and flicked his tail as a signal for his cats to gather around him. The pale tabby stared wide eyed at the scene before her. The bodies of the cats that were in her gang were scattered across the ground, bloody and covered in wounds. Lily was racing across the clearing, trying to treat the wounded, but it was no use.

"See what happens when you challenge me? You die. And we'll keep coming, chipping away more and more of your land, until the entire twoleg place is ours!"

The cats around him cheered his name loudly.

"Good-bye, my dear. I'm sure that we will meet again soon." He flicked his tail tip underneath her chin before calling, "Come! Let's head back to the camp!"

Suddenly, more cats swarmed out of the shadows. An extra patrol in case Sable's gang wouldn't be able to handle her patrol? No. Sable was to confident in his abilities to have extra cats wait in case of an emergency. So why were they there...?

Rachel turned and shared a glance with Icy, her second in command. By the look on his face, she could tell he was think the same think.

"That camp!" she cried. "They attacked the camp!" Without waiting to see if her cats were following, she raced in the direction where they kept their camp. All of the kits, queens, elders... they'd all been left on their own.

This was all her fault! If she had only foreseen what her rival was planning...

* * *

Scarlet light filtered through the ruins of Rachel's camp. The remains of half eaten prey was scattered across the clearing, the materials they'd been using to make dens lay in ruins and dead bodies covered the ground.

"Oh no..." Rachel whispered in a hoarse voice. Lily ran up beside her, panting. Icy followed close behind, his trainee, Maddy, gasping for air beside him.

"I told you," murmured the silver tabby she-cat. "With Sable taking our land, it won't be long until we're all dead..."

"No!" she spat, glaring daggers at the healer. "Sable will never defeat us! We will prevail!"

Icy's eyes were glassy. "There's no hope, Rachel..." he said, his words barely audible. "We should give up now..."

"Never!" More cats were showing up behind the four. "Who else thinks we can win this war?"

Each cat stared at her with sad eyes. She realized that hardly any of the cats she'd brought with her were here now. They were alone on the battlefield, died or slowly dieing.

Then, Lily's fur began to prickle and her eyes looked distant.

"Lily? Lily, are you okay?" Icy meowed, staring at her. But the tabby didn't say anything.

"Lily!"

Suddenly, she began gasping for air and her legs collapsed underneath her.

"Lily?" Maddy gasped, racing over and poking her in the side. "What's wrong?"

"I-it was a sign!" she wheezed. "A sign from strange cats... They had stars in their fur..."

"What did they say?"

"They said... _Those who's heart is a dark as the night will save us..."_

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked a small tom from the back of the group. Many other voices echoed his words.

"Well?" the pale tabby pressed.

"I don't know, Rachel. I really don't know..."

**I hope you enjoyed! Don't forget to review! The review button is feeling lonely...**

**Also, I'll except OCs as long as you _send it to me in a PM! _I don't think it's against the rules if you send an OC by PM, so... Yeah. Bye!**


	2. Analogies

**AN: Yeah! New story! Here's the list of the kitties that will appear in the story. My friends and I are still working on cats for the collaboration, so that won't be out soon, but I'm starting to write another story, so keep a look out for that!**

**Spirit: Why don't you write about me anymore? You thought that my story was going to be the best!**

**Deltra: Well, I guess I thought wrong.**

**Spirit: So... You're giving up on Silent Screams?**

**Deltra: Unless theres a miracle and a lot of people review it *cough* hint, hint, nudge, nudge *cough*, so I won't continue.**

**Spirit: NO! HOW COULD YOU! I don't want my story to die!**

**Deltra: It's not even your story. It's Cloudfeather's.**

**Spirit: So what? I'm still a main character!**

**Deltra: Whatever. Here's the analogies!**

**(If you can't handle epicness, this story might not be for you...)**

* * *

**Sable's Gang**

**Ruler:**

Sable**-**jet black tom with green eyes

**Second in Command:**

Bailey-silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes

**Healer:**

Happy-light brown tom with amber eyes

**Fighters:**  
Abby-brown tabby she-cat

Danny-gray tom with amber eyes

Venom-black she-cat with green eyes

Shadow-black tom with amber eyes

Fang-pale gray tom with darker flecks, blue eyes, and unusually long teeth

Beatrix-pale gray tabby she-cat with icy blue eyes

Scarlet-white she-cat with dark amber eyes

Ash-gray tom with green eyes

Max-brown tom with amber eyes

**Trainee: Chill**

Rock-pale brown tom with blue eyes

Flame-ginger she-cat with green eyes

Fire-ginger tabby tom with amber eyes

Blue-blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes

Oak-brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Feather-silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes

**Trainee: Dawn**

Red-reddish colored tabby tom with amber eyes

Clover-gray and white she-cat with green eyes

Gracie-pale gray and white she-cat with blue eyes

**Trainee: Dusk**

Mist-blue-gray tom with blue eyes

Bandit-black and white tom with amber eyes

Sky-white tom with pale blue eyes

Blaze-golden she-cat with amber eyes

**Trainee: Rain**

Wildfire-dark tortioushell she-cat with green eyes

Smokey-dark gray tom with amber eyes

Lightning-golden tom with blue eyes

Chase-long leg, white tom with green eyes

Midnight-beautiful black she-cat with dark amber eyes

Soot-smokey gray tom with green eyes

Flower-golden tabby she-cat with green eyes

**Trainee:Rain**

Pebble-pale, blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes

Yellow-dark gray tom with amber eyes

Dapple-tortishell she-cat with white underbelly

Pepper-pale brown she-cat

Mud-mottled brown tom with amber eyes

River-handsom blue-gray tom with blue eyes

**Trainee: Spots**

Swift-black and white tom with green eyes

Shade-black tom with amber eyes

Kira-pretty, light brown she-cat with snow white paws, mussel and chest; blue eyes

**Trainee: Ripple**

Henry-black tom with blue eyes

Snow-white tom with icy blue eyes

Amilia-black and white she-cat with blue eyes

**Trainee: Cinder**

Noon-handsom white tom with one blue eye and one green eye

**Trainees:**  
Chill-pale gray tom with icy blue eyes

Dawn-silver tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Dusk-silver tabby tom with amber eyes

Rain-gray tabyb tom with blue eyes

Spots-tortishell she-cat with white underbelly

Ripple-blue-gray tom with blue eyes

Cinder-light gray she-cat with bright blue eyes

**Rachel's Gang**

**Ruler:**

Rachel-pretty, light brown tabby she-cat with bright blue eyes

**Second in Command:**

Icy-pure white tom with icy blue eyes

**Trainee: Maddy**

**Healer:**

Lily-silver she-cat with green eyes

**Fighters:**  
Aero-long legged gray tom with bright blue eyes

Buzz-brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Chocolate-dark brown she-cat with blue eyes

**Trainee: Nyla**

Damian-light brown tom with amber eyes

Eve-pretty pale ginger she-cat with green eyes

Fluffy-long furred brown tom with green eyes

Gabriel-pale brown tom with amber eyes

Honey-golden tabby she-cat with green eyes

Ink-black tom with bright amber eyes

**Trainee: Oreo**

Jackie-light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Kyo-dark golden tabby with amber eyes

Liz-brown she-cat with blue eyes

Zach-cream colored tom with blue eyes

Zeke-long haired, jet black tom with bright green eyes and many scars along his flank

Jynx-small, dark brown tabby she-cat with bright amber eyes and no tail

Silver-long haired silver she-cat with green eyes

**Trainees:**  
Maddy-tortishell she-cat with green eyes

Nyla-tortishell and white she-cat with green eyes

Oreo-black and white tom with blue eyes

**Others:**  
Paige-light brown she-cat with green eyes

Quince-light brown tabby tom with green eyes

Rikku-golden tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Savannah-beautiful dark tortishell she-cat with green eyes

Twilight-dark gray, almost black tom with amber eyes

Velvet-long furred, dark brown she-cat with blue eyes

Waffles-pale brown tom with amber eyes

Yuki-white tom with icy blue eyes

Zero-handsom jet black tom with green eyes

**Flameclan**

**Leader:**

Patchstar-black and white tom with amber eyes

**Deputy:**

Littleflame-small ginger she-cat with green eyes

**Medicine Cat:**

Moonshadow-black she-cat with pale green eyes

**Apprentice: Heatherpaw-pale brown tabby she-cat with green eyes**

**Snowclan**

**Leader:**

Badgerstar-white tom with black tabby stripes and blue eyes

**Apprentice: Nightpaw-pretty black she-cat with amber eyes**

**Deputy:**

Amberleaf-yellow-brown she-cat with green eyes

**Medicine Cat:**

Falconstrike-dark brown tabby tom with white underbelly


	3. Chapter 1

Everything was peaceful on Snowclan's territory. Though it was only early leaf-fall, a thck blanket of snow covered the earth-these cats didn't get their name for nothing.

A small, skinny mouse was scurrying across the barren landscape, leaving small footprints in the snow. Only tail lengths away, a black cat, her pelt standing out like the light of a twoleg monster at night, crouched down, her tail swishing back and forth slightly.

Just as she was about to make her move, the mouse noticed her presence and dashed away. The small cat tried to persue it, but the mouse was to fast and in moments, it was gone.

"Fox dung!" Nightpaw spat, her claws digging into the white ground. "I hate hunting out here! With fur as dark as ours, prey can see us miles away!"

"Quit your bellyaching," moaned a large tom, his fur even darker then her own. "You just scared away the vole I was hunting."

"It wouldn't matter..." she growled bitterly. "It's not like you would have caught it, anyways."

"What did you say?"

"I said that your a lousy hunter!"

"I've caught more then you have on this hunting party!"

"Oh, yes, because one peice of prey is going to feed the whole clan!"

"Why you little-"

"Batwing! Nightpaw! What on earth are you doing?"

A white tom padded towards him, narrowing his eyes.

"We were hunting, Badgerstar," Batwing said. "Just like you told us to." He prodded Nightpaw in the side.

"From what I saw, you were agruing."

"Well if Batwing hadn't-" Nightpaw started before she was cut off by her leader.

"Quit your bickering and get back to hunting! We need to keep the clan in top condition if we're going to survive this leaf-bare! You remember what happened seasons ago, don't you, Batwing?"

"Yes, Badgerstar. More then half the clan starved to death." The jet black tom grimised at the thought.

"Correct. Do you want that to happen again?"

"No, Badgerstar."

"Good. Then start working. I don't want to see you two arguing like kits."

With that, the black striped tom tottered away and disappeared.

"Thanks alot, Nightpaw," Batwing hissed. "I finally become deputy and your already ruining it for me!"

"Shut it, mouse-brain," Nightpaw shot back. "or you'll go back to camp missing an ear."

"Did you hear what Badgerstar said?"

But the she-cat wasn't listening. Instead, she was stalking more prey. Sighing, he bounded away to do the same.

The hunting patrol returned to camp practically empty pawed. The only prey was a thrush Badgerstar had caught and the mouse Batwing had caught before.

"Empty handed... Again..." Nightpaw groaned as she flopped down beside the empty freshkill pile.

"You know, if you catch no prey..."

"You eat no prey, I know, I know. Here, Batwing, let me take that to the queens, will ya'?"

"Oh no! Last time I fell for that one, you ate the prey before you got halfway across the camp."

"Whatever..."

The black she-cat padded towards the apprentices den. Her eyes were drooping heavily and it took a great amount of effort to get her paws off the ground.

"Don't go back to the apprentices den," Batwing called. "I want you to go help Skypaw look for herbs!"

"But I've already done two patrols this morning, not to mention that you kept me up all night when I should have beem resting for the dawn patrol."

"Maybe I would've let you sleep if you hadn't been making so much racket when you slept!"

"Calm down, Batwing," said SKypaw. the pale gray tabby stared at him and green eyes met blue. "I can go looking for herbs myself. I doubt there will be any, but we're running low on supplies and I just want to make sure."

"Are you sure it's okay? The rest of the clan is going to split up on two seperate patrols, so sleepypaws here and Falconstrike will be on their own."

"I'm sure they'll be fine. Can I go now?"

The was a bit of hesitation. "Alright," the deputy said finally. "But be careful!"

"I will!"

And with that, the medicine cat apprentice departed.

"Can I sleep now?" Nightpaw said. She was finding it hard to stay on her paws.

"Fine." He nuzzled her cheek affectionatly. "Don't cause to much trouble while I'm gone," he teased.

"I will make no promises."

"See ya'!" he called as he gathered the rest of the small clan can disappeared into the snowy forest.

She curled up in her nest, happy to finally be away from all of the cold and be able to sleep. But as she lay in bed, all she could think about was Batwing.

Love is hard when your young.

"Falconstrike!"

A loud wail of misery echoed throughout the camp. Nightpaw got out of her next and stretched, not really caring about what was going on outside her den.

"Probably just a thron in someone's paw, no big deal."

Suprisingly, the she-cat felt much better-not tired at all. She walking into the clearing and gasped in shock at what was going on.

In the middle of the clearing, Falconstrike lay on the ground, a gash in his throat where blood was spilling out heavily. Cats crouched down beside their dead medicine cat. Some stared at her.

"You moster!" one of them shreiked. "How could you?"

"How could I what?"

"You killed Falconstrike!"

"I did not! Why would I kill my own medicine cat?" Something wasn't right. If someone had broken into camp, she would have heard it, so why...

"There's a tuff of your fur in his claws!" another cat growled. "That proves it!"

Batwing stared at Nightpaw disbelievingly. "What have you done...?"

"I-I didn't! I swear! Badgerstar, you believe me, don't you?"

The white tabby hund his head. "I don't, Nightpaw, I really don't..."

"But-"

"Let all cats gather here beneath the Snowrock for a clan meeting!"

Cats gathered in a semicircle around their leader. A few shot hateful glances at Nightpaw as they passed.

"As you all know, our beloved medicine cat, Falconstrike, as been murdered-"

"By Nightpaw!"

"Listen to what I have to say!" the black striped tom hissed before continuing. "There's only one reasonable explaination to this. Nightpaw?"

"I promise, I didn't do it! Please, listen to me!"

"Tell the truth, liar!"

"Kill her! Make her pay for what she's done!"

"Nightpaw, I want to believe, you, but I... I just can't... If you admit to your crimes, You will be punished-servearly-but if you don't admit, the consicquences will be fatal..."

She couldn't believe it. The black she-cat was never really liked among her clanmates, but this? How could they...?

"I didn't do it!"

"Nightpaw?"

"I didn't!"

The leader sighed. "I didn't want it to come to this, but if it must..." The tom raised a massive paw in the air, claws unsheathed.

"Fine, I did it! I killed Falconstrike!"

"I knew it!" The words rippled across the crowd.

"And you know what? I realized something about you. After all of these seasons that I've lived here, not one of you has ever cared about me. Ever since my father ran away with my loner mother, all you've seen in me is him-a traitor! Well, I can't take it anymore! Not one of you has ever understood me, and not one of you ever will! I'm going to fins someone out there! Someone who cares! You can turn into crowfood, for all I care. Just leave me alone!"

With that, she raced out of camp and onto the path towards the Thunderpath. Maybe she'd start a life as a kittypet. It didn't matter to her-as long as she'd never have to see her worthless clanmates again. She heard Batwing on her tail. Sweet, sweet Batwing. She loved him ever so much... but her feelings were always one-sided, she knew.

"Where are you going?" he called, simpathy in his voice.

"Somewhere far away from here!"

The sound of him racing behind her stopped and she spun around to see him sitting there, tail curled around his paws.

"Aren't you coming with me?"

"I want to stay with Snowclan. Go on-this is what you wanted, right?"

"But I don't want to go without you!"

"Then don't go."

"But... I'm an outcast back there..."

"Then go one without me."

"Your making me... choose?"

The tom nodded.

"Then I choose..." an eerie silence hung in the air around them. The she-cat gulped. "I choose freedom."

She dashed away and looked over her shoulder. Batwing had not moved.

Soon, she found herself at the thunderpath. It was oddly quiet today.

"Then I guess I can cross without anything bad happening..." she muttered as she placed a paw on the slippery surface. Slowly, she made her way across.

But when she was halfway to the other side, the lights of a monster appeared. She froze in fear as the monster raced closer... and closer... and closer...

Suddenly, pain like nothing she'd ever felt before pulsed through her when everything turned black...

"Is she alright?"

"That's quite a wound she's got there..."

"Do you think this is...?"

"Yes. This is the cat we've been waiting for..."


End file.
